World Car Free Day

What is World Car Free day?

World Car Free Day is an international awareness day, taking place on Thursday 22 September. It aims to bring about car-free towns and cities across the globe for just one day and promote a more sustainable way of regular travel. 



The day was brought to life by a charity - the World Car Free Network who wanted to show the world what it would be like if it was to be traffic-free for just one day. They want to remind people of the incredible benefits of cycling and the positive effect it can have on our local communities, as well as health and wealth.



Workplaces have a pivotal role in supporting and signposting their employees to seek out car-free alternatives such as cycling. This awareness day offers workplaces the opportunity to promote cycling to staff  and encourage them to give cycling to work a try, it also enables organisations to highlight the steps they are taking to help reduce their carbon footprint. 



Cycling UK is a UK-wide charity that helps people to cycle more and we work with workplaces and organisations to encourage and promote cycling at work. For general information on how your organisation can be more cycle friendly, visit our workplaces site and keep reading below to find out how you can get involved with World Car Free Day.

How your workplace can take part

Cycling UK have developed a package of useful support materials and resources you can use to support your workplace – everything from certificates to flyers and more. 

To access a free pack for your workplace, simply fill out this quick form.

If you’re looking for some quick, simple tips on what you can do and how you can get your organisation involved, take a look at these suggestions below:

1. Go car-free and give cycling a try: Challenge your staff or colleagues to go car-free for the day, by creating a car-free day at work on 22 September. Encourage staff to replace their usual car journeys with cycling. Whether they cycle to work instead of taking the car, or cycle to the shops - it all counts. And if they need help planning a route, check out Cycling UK’s journey planner to help map out the best cycle routes and support those new to cycling by offering to ride with them. 
2. Reward staff with certificates: Rewarding staff can make a big difference, it will boost confidence and inspire people to consider the long-term benefits of cycling to work on a regular basis. Be sure to incentivise and engage staff who take part to highlight their contributions. In the resources pack above you will find an editable certificate you can hand out. 
3. Photograph competition: For many people the idea of cycling to work for the first time might be challenging, especially for those who might be fearful of cycling on the road. By encouraging staff to share photographs of their commute it will give them another incentive to give it a try. Maybe they’ll notice something different or arrive at work much faster? These small discoveries will motivate them to consider cycling more regularly. Encourage staff by sharing their trips via your intranet or workplace internal communications.
4. Calculate your carbon footprint:  How much your workplace saves on carbon emissions is important. Not only does it have a big environmental impact, but it will also allow you to show your staff and partners the benefits to getting involved. You can use a carbon calculator to help you calculate your impact. 

World Car Free Day is the perfect tool to enthuse your staff into cycling and enjoy spending time together on bikes. 

If you’re not already a Cycle Friendly Employer, why not take Cycling UK’s quiz to find out how cycle friendly your organisation is? Take the self-assessment today, it only takes around 15 minutes.



Thanks for taking part and making a difference to your staff, community and the planet.